


New Head Boy, New Feelings

by postmodernmulticoloredcloak



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: (what I'm trying to say is that I'm kinda embarrassed by this ahaha), F/M, Gen, I write differently now, it's a story I wrote many years ago, still I thought I'd share it because why not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-16
Updated: 2015-09-16
Packaged: 2018-04-21 01:54:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4810466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/postmodernmulticoloredcloak/pseuds/postmodernmulticoloredcloak
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's the first of September, and Lily and James are about to start their seventh year at Hogwarts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	New Head Boy, New Feelings

**Author's Note:**

> As I mentioned in the tags, I wrote this a long time ago in a galaxy far far away (i.e. when I was in high school). There are way too many "realized" and overall it's written in a different way than the way I'd write it now lol. Still, I stumbled on it while looking for something else in my old HDD, and thought to post it here because I'm a nerd. I guess it's the nostalgia for the old days when I shipped James/Lily and I had way too many Marauder era feels...
> 
> Thanks to Sara for the beta work ^^

September 1st  
Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, King’s Cross station

In the cloud of steam coming from the Hogwarts Express engine, Lily Evans pinned up her Head Girl badge on her school uniform. She didn’t manage to repress a smile of satisfaction. She couldn’t say she hadn’t expected to be chosen as Head Girl, since her Potions teacher, Professor Slughorn, hadn’t kept it particularly secret. However, she felt pretty proud. The Hogwarts Headmaster only designated two Heads – a boy and a girl – a year, choosing them among Prefects and Quidditch captains. She had been a Prefect, of course. She wasn’t the kind of person who shows off, but she had to admit she was a really good student. Her strong point was Potions, so she was easily Professor Slughorn’s favorite student. She was pretty good in Charms, too. Her weak point was Transfiguration, but she had so far managed to get quite good marks in it all the same. And now she was wearing a shiny badge on her collar.  
She wondered who that year’s Head Boy was.  
Remus Lupin, the Gryffindor Prefect on Lily’s year, had told her at the end of last year he would ask the Headmaster not to appoint him Head Boy. Remus had already had problems in performing his Prefect duties, because he was often ill, or so he said. Lily privately knew Remus’ absences were due to the fact he was a werewolf, but she believed she was one of the few people in the whole school to know. In fact, Remus himself didn’t know Lily had found out his secret, as she had discovered it thanks to Severus Snape. Lily realized she wasn’t supposed to know, so she had never mentioned anything to Remus.  
Who had been chosen as Head Boy, then? It might be Severus, but Lily hoped not. She knew Head Boys and Girls had to work together most times, and Lily and Severus hadn’t been speaking to each other for more than a year. She would feel too awkward. Moreover, they hadn’t been speaking to each other because Severus had called her the most horrible insult in the wizarding world – definitely, she wished it weren’t him.  
Who else could it be? The Slytherin Quidditch captain was almost as stupid as he was mean … the Ravenclaw Prefect, Claudius Corner, didn’t sound too convincing … the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain was a girl … the Hufflepuff Prefect and Quidditch captain was the same person, Amos Diggory … Yes, it must be him. He was more likely than Severus.  
Was there anyone else? Lily had somehow the impression she had forgotten someone. The houses Prefects – Severus, Remus, Corner, Diggory… the Quidditch captains – Diggory again, Mulciber, that Ravenclaw girl and –  
She realized suddenly who she’d forgotten. She let out a laugh. James Potter, the Gryffindor team captain. If there was a student no one would chose as Head Boy, that was him. Of course, some teachers loved him, since he had an outstanding talent at school, but he had an outstanding talent in breaking school rules, too. He didn’t have a grain of responsibility, and the main ingredient needed to be appointed Head Boy wasn’t definitely charm.  
No, James Potter couldn’t be Head Boy at all. Lily was relieved about that. She was sure she would feel pretty uneasy if she had to work with him. James Potter had been asking her out for a couple of years now and Lily was starting to feel uncomfortable about this. At the beginning, it hadn’t been a problem at all. She used to hate Potter so much it wasn’t difficult to yell at him. But Potter had never given up with her and Lily had to admit his feelings must be sincere, or he wouldn’t keep on trying to get a date with a girl who called him an arrogant toerag.  
All right, he wasn’t so childish as he used to be. He must have matured a bit, after all. But he still was James Potter.  
Then, Lily heard a sudden burst of shouting. She jolted and turned to see a bunch of boys who were looking at something in front of them. Some of the people around were screaming, some were cheering. It looked like someone was fighting.  
Lily took her wand out quickly, but she had barely opened her mouth when a voice cried, ‘Impedimenta!’ and the boys’ shouting stopped at once.  
Lily managed to make her way towards the fighting boys, and she understood at once why they had been struck dumb.  
Two boys had been thrown apart by the force of the spell.  
James Potter, wand still raised, was frowning at them.  
Lily felt suddenly worried. James Potter intervening in a brawl wasn’t a good sign. Some of the involved boys were Slytherins, and everyone knew what Potter thought of Slytherins.  
‘What happened?’ he asked gravely.  
Lily raised her eyebrows. Had Potter ever made a question before taunting Slytherins?  
One of the boys who had been fighting straightened up. Lily recognized him as a fifth-year Ravenclaw. He pointed an accusing finger to the other boy.  
‘He’d like to see all Muggle-borns out of school!’ he burst out in a shrill voice.  
Lily felt uneasy. That was a good reason for Potter to taunt a Slytherin. Her fingers clenched on her wand. Potter was still holding his own wand out, and the look on his face was definitely angry. But he didn’t performed any hex. On the contrary, he peered at the Ravenclaw boy.  
‘And you beat him up because you think he would like that?’  
Lily had the weird feeling there was something wrong. What was Potter doing? She had expected him to hex the Slytherin boy. Why was he scanning, slit eyed, the Ravenclaw boy who undoubtedly shared his ideas about Muggle-born hating Slytherins?  
‘It’s obvious he does!’ the boy replied. ‘Everyone knows his father –’  
Potter cut him off.  
‘And you beat him up because his father hates Muggle-borns?’  
‘He does too! It’s obvious!’ the boy shrieked.  
Potter turned to the other boy, a Slytherin boy Lily knew was Regulus Black. The Ravenclaw boy was right about his father, of course. Everyone knew the Blacks didn’t want Muggle-borns to be allowed to school. Was that accusation enough for Potter to hex Regulus Black? Lily clenched her wand again. She knew Potter too well. He used to inflict his punishments to people who believed in the pureblood supremacy. Yet again, Potter didn’t do anything.  
‘Are you going around saying Muggle-borns must be thrown out of school?’ he said harshly.  
His voice wasn’t definitely kind. Lily felt a bit worried.  
‘I’m not!’ Regulus shrieked. ‘I didn’t say anything! He attacked me without me saying –’  
‘But you think that!’ the Ravenclaw boy shouted to him.  
’You attacked him because of something he thinks?’ Potter thundered.  
Lily lowered her wand without realizing to. She was bewildered. Was Potter settling the brawl down? Was he on the attacked boy’s side, even if this was a Slytherin who didn’t like Muggle-borns? Was he telling the Ravenclaw boy off for fighting without a reason? Was he being fair? James Potter?  
The Ravenclaw boy didn’t answer to Potter’s question.  
‘You can’t fight people without them saying anything!’ Potter said scowling. ‘I will talk to Professor Flitwick when we get to school! The term hasn’t started yet so I can’t take points from your houses, but you’ll both get detentions.’  
The silence was deeper than ever. Lily realized everyone, like her, was shocked by Potter’s behavior. However, although he had done exactly what Lily herself would have done, there was something wrong.  
She stepped forward.  
‘You do not have the power to give detentions,’ she said, frowning at him.  
Potter smiled. He looked suddenly amused.  
‘Hello, Lily. Don’t I?’  
Something in his grin annoyed Lily.  
‘No, you don’t. You are a Quidditch captain.’  
‘Oh well, I am a Quidditch captain indeed.’ His smirk widened. ‘But I’m afraid you have to take into consideration this, too.’  
He pointed at his chest. Pinned up on his robe was a shiny Head Boy badge.  
Lily’s mouth fell open. She stared at the badge on Potter’s chest. She was feeling numb. James Potter?  
‘They chose you?’ was the only thing she managed to say.  
Potter let out a laugh. Lily felt quite stupid. Being peered by Potter’s piercing stare made her feel uneasy.  
‘I know – that’s exactly how I felt when I got the letter,’ Potter said with a grin. ‘Well, I’ll tell you …’ his grin widened, ‘I wrote back to Dumbledore sending him the badge. I told him he’d sent me the wrong letter. But then he sent me the badge again – it seems he thinks I am the right person for the job.’  
Lily frowned at him. He let out a little chuckle.  
‘Well, if he thinks so …’ Potter shuddered with his usual smirk. ‘We’ll believe him.’  
He winked and turned on his heels. Then he went to join his friends Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black, who were waiting for him next to a train compartment door.  
Lily stood stupidly on the spot with her wand in her hand and a bewildered look. She remembered what she was doing there when she heard the Ravenclaw boy saying, ‘Well, whatever, everyone knows what those Blacks are like. This one can’t be different. They’re all the same … rotten inside –’  
There was a loud bang followed by several screams. Lily turned quickly around. The Ravenclaw boy had fallen on the floor in a cloud of smoke. Some people had jumped backwards. Sirius Black had stepped forwards, his wand still raised and pointed to the Ravenclaw boy. He was scowling in anger, his eyes slit.  
‘Say that again!’ he barked.  
But before the terrified Ravenclaw boy could answer, Regulus Black stumbled on his feet.  
‘No,’ he mumbled, ‘don’t bother with him –’  
Sirius Black took a deep breath and lowered his wand. This seemed to reassure the Ravenclaw boy, who muttered, ‘I – I didn’t mean to –’  
‘Yeah, I know you didn’t mean to allude to me,’ Sirius Black grumbled. ‘After all, you’re not wrong.’  
The atmosphere definitely lightened when Sirius Black put his wand back and turned away. The Ravenclaw boy and his mates hurried away onto the train. Regulus Black glanced at his brother before following the rest of the Slytherins onto a compartment.  
‘Why did you do that?’ Lily heard Potter telling Black. ‘I thought you have that boy’s same opinions about your family?’  
‘Yeah,’ Sirius Black growled, ‘but I don’t like people insulting my brother. He’s not evil, he’s just stupid –’  
‘Let’s find a compartment,’ Remus Lupin cut him off.  
‘Thought we should go on the Prefect compartment?’ Potter said.  
‘Yeah, we have to, but I’m not going to stay there all the time,’ Lupin answered. ‘No one ever does. The Heads explain the new Prefects what they’ve got to do, then everyone goes where they want.’  
‘The Heads do what?’ Potter said. ‘I don’t know what anyone has to do. My letter only said I’ll be told what I have to do by Dumbledore when we get to school. I only know Prefects bother people. Well, not everyone of them,’ he added to Remus Lupin.  
Lily stepped closer to them.  
‘I’m going to talk with the Prefects,’ she told Potter. ‘We should get on the train now. It’s nearly eleven.’  
Potter nodded and the five of them stepped on the train. Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew went for an empty compartment. Lily, Potter and Lupin entered the Prefect compartment.  
All the Prefects were already there. Trying not to meet Severus Snape’s eyes, Lily watched the new Prefects. She suddenly realized the Ravenclaw boy and Regulus Black had both been chosen. There already was a nervous silence in the compartment because of this, and when Potter stepped inside, the atmosphere went even tenser. Lily had a glimpse of Severus eyeing Potter with deep dislike and Potter doing exactly the same.  
She swallowed. Her stay in that compartment wasn’t going to be really amusing.  
However, Potter took his eyes off Snape and said, ‘Good morning, everyone.’ Then he added, ‘Lily,’ slightly bowing his head as a greeting. As they had entered the compartment together, there was no need for him to greet her, but Lily had the odd impression he wouldn’t have done that that if Severus Snape weren’t there.  
‘Is this compartment always so cheerful?’ Potter said. Remus Lupin chuckled.  
Before anyone could say a word, Potter had held his wand out and several little fireworks started crackling overhead.  
‘That’s better,’ he said, as several smiled appeared.  
Remus Lupin had already sat down. Potter was about to sit on the seat next to him, when he realized Severus Snape was exactly in front of that seat. Lily caught his spiteful glance at Severus and felt a bit worried – she didn’t want them to get into trouble even before arriving at school – but Potter just sat down in front of Snape. Both of them had his eyes fixed on the other’s face.  
The whole compartment was watching him and Snape now. No one could say whose eyes were showing more loathing.  
After a few long moments of tense silence, Lily cleared her throat.  
‘Well, I’d say – I’d congratulate the new Prefects. Can you – can you tell me your names, so I’ll write them down?’  
She took a quill and a piece of parchment and started writing the new Prefects’ names. When it was Regulus Black’s turn, the Ravenclaw boy snorted, but everyone ignored him.  
Then Lily said, ‘Well, I think you all know our new Head Boy –’  
‘I’d been wondering … who chooses Heads in this school?’ Severus Snape suddenly said with a nasty sneer.  
An icy silence fell above them. Everyone’s eyes were on James Potter now, as they all were expecting him to react. Lily held her breath. She could almost see the storm coming in their compartment. Potter’s cheerful fireworks now looked quite sinister, as though flashes of mocking lightning.  
‘The Headmaster does,’ Potter said stiffly. His knuckles clicked.  
‘Does he?’ Severus went on, his sneer widening. A wicked spark gleamed in his eyes. ‘I suppose the Headmaster is a very busy person, is he? He probably doesn’t have much time to dedicate to these affairs, does he? I presume he makes his choices by drawing –’  
Potter flushed slightly, but his expression was very harsh. He barely unclenched his teeth when he spoke.  
‘Oh, yes,’ he hissed. His eyes now were blazing spitefully. ‘He’s not the only one. Professor Slughorn is a very busy person, too. Do you know how Slytherin Prefects are chosen? Slughorn entrusts the task to the mice that live in the Slytherin common room.’  
Snape’s clenched teeth were very visible now. A muscle twitched unpleasantly at the corner of his mouth.  
Lily couldn’t move, nor anyone in the compartment could. Everyone just stood transfixed, staring at the two of them, who were watching each other with such hatred, its sight was almost bewitching.  
Unexpectedly, neither James nor Severus stood up or took their wand out. They just sat, a grimace of contempt on their faces, their fists clenched.  
It seemed they were too intent on scowling at each other to do anything else.  
Then, Remus Lupin did something Lily felt very grateful for him to have done.  
‘Were you going to tell the new Prefects what their job is, Lily?’ he said a bit louder than usual, even though the silence was so deep there was no need to.  
‘Right,’ she said quickly. ‘Please, Remus – Severus – Claudius – Amos – you older Prefects – help me, in case I forget something …’  
She explained the fifth-year Prefects all she could remember to say, then she stammered, ‘If you need to know something else, please ask your house’s older Prefects. I – I think you may join your friends now, if you want …’  
The compartment emptied very quickly. Finally, there only were Lily, Potter and Lupin inside. Remus had his hand on the door handle, as though he was waiting for getting out, but Potter was lingering, as though he wanted to tell Lily something.  
Lily looked at him. He was watching the fireworks he had performed. They were dying by now. A few sparks only were still gleaming in the air.  
‘I tried to cheer up the place a bit,’ he said sadly, nodding at his fireworks. ‘Someone smiled indeed.’  
Lily said nothing. Was he going to apologize for his quarrel with Snape?  
‘I’m sorry I spoiled everything,’ he said in a low voice.  
Lily realized Remus Lupin had got out of the compartment.  
‘Don’t worry,’ she said slowly. ‘He provoked you. It was he who started it.’  
James made a weak smile.  
‘You’re not reproaching me?’ he whispered.  
Lily felt something like compassion.  
‘No.’  
Potter looked a lot happier. Then he said, as though he wanted to change subject, ‘This Head Boy thing – it sounds like I’m going to spend my whole evenings meddling up with Prefects, doesn’t it?’  
‘No, I don’t think so,’ Lily said thoughtfully. ‘When I was a Prefect, I rarely worked with Heads. I think the Head Girl and Boy have their own tasks –’  
‘Then I’m going to spend my evenings with you?’ he said with a laugh. ‘Well, it doesn’t sound that bad.’  
Normally Lily would shoot him a black look, but this time she laughed, too.  
‘Don’t get strange ideas,’ she said with a smile.  
‘Oh, I’d never!’ he said, pretending to be shocked. ‘What do you think I –’  
He was interrupted by a knocking at the compartment door.  
‘Prongs? Are you here?’ said Sirius Black’s voice.  
‘Coming,’ he said loudly. Then he added in a low voice, ‘Well, it seems we’ll meet again when we get to school.’  
‘Yeah. See you at the feast, then. Dumbledore will summon us afterwards, I think.’  
‘Good.’ He hesitated, then added, ‘I am glad to see you again, Lily.’  
He was smiling almost timidly. He wasn’t kidding her, and Lily knew that.  
She swallowed.  
‘Don’t kid me,’ she whispered.  
‘You know I’m not kidding you.’  
His smile somehow looked sweet.  
And again, being gazed by Potter’s intense stare made her feel uneasy. She realized his eyes were darker than she thought.  
He bowed his head again as his way of saying goodbye, then he went out of the compartment.

—————

September 1st  
Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, King’s Cross station

In the cloud of steam coming from the Hogwarts Express engine, James Potter pinned up his Head Boy badge on his school uniform. He didn’t manage to repress a laugh. He still couldn’t believe Professor Dumbledore, the Hogwarts Headmaster, had been so crazy to appoint him Head Boy. He was exactly the last person anyone could assign a job like that.  
When he had got his letter from Hogwarts and found the badge in it, he had just re-closed the envelope and sent it back with a note telling Dumbledore he had sent him the wrong letter. Next day, however, he had got the same letter with the badge. This time there was a note from Dumbledore himself, telling him it hadn’t been a mistake.  
James knew he must have gone very pale. His best friend, Sirius Black, had almost fallen from his chair when he had seen Dumbledore’s letter. His mother had dropped the pile of pans she was carrying, and his father had stared at him open-mouthed for a whole dozen minutes. When he had told his friends Remus and Peter, they hadn’t believed him until he had waved the badge under their noses. Then, Peter had burst into hysterical laughs, while Remus had had to sit down.  
Head Boys and Girls were chosen among seventh-year Prefects or Quidditch captains. James was the latter, of course. He was one of the two most rule-breaking students in Hogwarts, and the second was Sirius Black, obviously. The two of them had probably got more detentions than anyone in Hogwarts’ history, and had managed to dodge even more, so he couldn’t see how he was wearing that small shiny badge on his chest. All right, he was a good student – well, one of the most brilliant students in the whole school – but Dumbledore must have gone madder than usual.  
He was pretty sure to know who the new Head Girl was, though. If Dumbledore hadn’t gone completely mad, he had surely appointed Lily Evans.  
James couldn’t wait to see her face when she would find out he was Head Boy.  
Well, to be honest, he simply couldn’t wait to see her.  
Red haired, green eyed, strong but kind tempered, Lily was the girl James had been asking out for two years – and, unfortunately, she was the girl who hated him most in the whole school.  
He shook his head. No, he must not think about her. He had decided not to ask her out anymore. Sirius, who couldn’t see how James could insist with a girl who usually yelled at him if he asked her out, thought he had recovered a bit of sanity. Nevertheless, even if he had told himself and his friends he had given Lily up, James knew it was a lie.  
‘All right, Prongs?’ a voice made him start.  
Sirius was scanning him. He must have understood how he felt from his face.  
‘Yeah …’  
Now Remus and Peter were watching him closely. James realized he had no hope of them believing he was all right.  
‘Nothing peculiar,’ James muttered.  
Remus was clearly about to say something, when a sudden burst of yells and screams made them all turn sharply.  
Surrounded by a group of students who looked like fifth-years, some of them Slytherins, some of them Ravenclaws, there were two boys fighting.  
James took out his wand at once, muttered, ‘I’ll see to it,’ to his friends and cried, ‘Impedimenta!’  
An invisible wall threw the boys apart, and their mates fell silent. Some of them gave James fidgety glances.  
James looked gravely at the boys who’d been fighting. One of them was a Ravenclaw boy whose name James didn’t know. The other one was a very familiar face. He had Sirius’ same black hair and grey eyes and looked a lot like Sirius’ younger version. Regulus Black.  
James was about to speak when Lily Evans appeared from the bunch of boys.  
He swallowed, feeling her eyes on himself, trying not to look at her.  
‘What happened?’ he asked.  
The Ravenclaw boy pointed his finger to Regulus. James couldn’t see Sirius’ face, but he felt his friend scowling.  
‘He’d like to see all Muggle-borns out of school!’ the boy shrieked.  
James frowned at him. He wasn’t pleased. He knew perfectly Sirius’ brother did not like Muggle-borns, but he didn’t want people to fight because of an opinion, even though he’d like to knock down all the Muggle-born haters. If that boy had beaten Regulus because he just knew Regulus’ ideas, without him saying anything, then he was wrong, although his opinions about blood status were right.  
‘And you beat him up because you think he would like that?’ he went on, without taking his eyes off the Ravenclaw boy.  
‘It’s obvious he does!’ the boy confirmed James’ suspicions. ‘Everyone knows his father –’  
James could now definitely feel uneasiness behind him. He somehow knew Sirius was clenching his teeth – but it wasn’t the Ravenclaw boy he was angry with, rather his hint at his father.  
‘And you beat him up because his father hates Muggle-borns?’ James growled.  
‘He does too! It’s obvious!’ the boy replied shrilly.  
James turned to Regulus. He didn’t approve the Blacks’ opinion about pureblood supremacy, but he couldn’t blame Regulus too much. In Sirius’ opinion, he was brainwashed by his parents.  
‘Are you going around saying Muggle-borns must be thrown out of school?’ he said in quite a harsh voice.  
‘I’m not!’ there was a note of fright in Regulus’ voice, as though he believed James was going to punish him because of the Ravenclaw boy’s accusation. ‘I didn’t say anything! He attacked me without me saying –’  
‘But you think that!’ the Ravenclaw boy retorted.  
’You attacked him because of something he thinks?’  
James was furious. He had behaved like that boy and now he deeply regretted it. He knew he wasn’t the right person to tell anyone off because of attacking people, but, after all, he knew what it meant.  
There was a moment of silence as the Ravenclaw boy didn’t answer. James realized Lily was looking fixedly at him, as though she was judging his behavior. He swallowed nervously again, but when he spoke his voice was steady.  
‘You can’t fight people without them saying anything! I will talk to Professor Flitwick when we get to school! The term hasn’t started yet so I can’t take points from your houses, but you’ll both get detentions.’  
He thought he’d done the right thing. They both had been fighting, so they had to be punished, but Professor Flitwick, the Head of Ravenclaw house, would hear about that boy’s action.  
However, Lily Evans stepped forwards, frowning, as though she’d found something wrong in what he had done.  
‘You do not have the power to give detentions,’ she said.  
James nearly burst into laughter.  
‘Hello, Lily. Don’t I?’ he said with a grin.  
‘No, you don’t. You are a Quidditch captain.’  
‘Oh well, I am a Quidditch captain indeed,’ he said, pretending to be considering her words seriously, but with a larger smile. ‘But I’m afraid you have to take into consideration this, too.’  
He pointed at the Head Boy badge on his chest, and distinctly saw Lily’s eyes widening in bewilderment.  
‘They chose you?’ she stammered.  
James laughed at her astonishment.  
‘I know – that’s exactly how I felt when I got the letter,’ he said cheerfully, a definite smirk on his face. ‘Well, I’ll tell you … I wrote back to Dumbledore sending him the badge. I told him he’d sent him the wrong letter. But then he sent me the badge again – it seems he thinks I am the right person for the job.’  
Now he chuckled at her dubious look.  
‘Well, if he thinks so …’ he shuddered, smiling. ‘We’ll believe him.’  
He winked, then he went to join Sirius, Remus and Peter who were waiting for him outside the train. He wasn’t out of earshot yet when the Ravenclaw boy said, ‘Well, whatever, everyone knows what those Blacks are like. This one can’t be different. They’re all the same … rotten inside –’  
Before James could even realize what was happening, Sirius had raised his wand and pointed it at the Ravenclaw boy. A bang – a cloud of smoke – someone screamed –  
‘Say that again!’ Sirius thundered, his eyes flashing, his hands shaking with anger.  
The Ravenclaw boy had just been thrown backwards by Sirius’ spell, but he was looking terrified.  
James was about to stop Sirius, when Regulus stood up.  
‘No,’ he said in a low voice, ‘don’t bother with him –’  
This seemed to calm Sirius down. He lowered his wand and sighed.  
The Ravenclaw boy stammered, ‘I – I didn’t mean to –’  
‘Yeah, I know you didn’t mean to allude to me,’ Sirius muttered.  
‘After all,’ he added in an odd voice, ‘you’re not wrong.’  
He headed for the train. The Ravenclaw boys did quickly the same. Regulus lingered to look at his brother for an instant before joining his house mates.  
James, Remus and Peter followed Sirius.  
‘Why did you do that?’ James asked him, frowning. ‘I thought you have that boy’s same opinions about your family?’  
‘Yeah,’ Sirius growled, his eyes fixed on the floor, ‘but I don’t like people insulting my brother. He’s not evil, he’s just stupid –’  
‘Let’s find a compartment,’ Remus said with his usual sensitiveness. He always knew when he had to change the subject.  
‘Thought we should go on the Prefect compartment?’ James said, raising his eyebrows. He did not like passing his journey without Sirius and Peter.  
‘Yeah, we have to, but I’m not going to stay there all the time,’ Remus said at once, as though he knew what James was thinking. ‘No one ever does. The Heads explain the new Prefects what they’ve got to do, then everyone goes where they want.’  
‘The Heads do what?’ James started, wide-eyed. ‘I don’t know what anyone has to do. My letter only said I’ll be told what I have to do by Dumbledore when we get to school. I only know Prefects bother people.’  
Sirius sniggered. Remus shot him a sidelong but amused glance.  
‘Well, not everyone of them,’ he added with a smile.  
A sudden voice made them all turn.  
‘I’m going to talk with the Prefects,’ Lily Evans told him. She must have heard what he had said. ‘We should get on the train now. It’s nearly eleven.’  
He nodded, relieved. Then they went onto the train; Sirius and Peter entered an empty compartment, while James followed Lily and Remus towards the Prefect compartment.  
It was only when he stepped inside that he realized Severus Snape was a Prefect. He barely noticed Regulus Black and the Ravenclaw boy glancing acidly at each other.  
He knew he was looking at Snape with the same dislike he could read in Snape’s eyes. He had to strive hard not to say anything.  
‘Good morning, everyone.’ Greeting Snape was almost painful. Then he added, ‘Lily,’ as though he wanted to underline he and Lily now spoke to each other.  
‘Is this compartment always so cheerful?’ he said, trying to sound a bit cheerful himself. Remus let out a small laugh.  
As though Remus’ laugh had given him fresh heart, he conjured some little fireworks which started sparking across the compartment.  
He saw someone smiling and said, ‘That’s better.’  
Then he headed to sit down next to Remus, when he realized Snape was sitting in the seat in front of the one he was about to take.  
He lingered for a moment, threw Snape an unkind glance and sat down.  
Snape had his eyes fixed on James’, as though he was challenging him to gaze at him with the same hatred that was flashing in his eyes.  
James did not lower his eyes. It wasn’t difficult to stare at Snape with the same loathing he was showing him.  
It was only when Lily said something about the new Prefects that James and Snape took their eyes off each other to look at her. She give them an uneasy look, then went on talking to the new Prefects.  
The atmosphere seemed to have become almost quiet when Lily said, ‘Well, I think you all know our new Head Boy –’  
Snape cut her off, looking fixedly at James again.  
‘I’d been wondering … who chooses Heads in this school?’  
There was an unpleasant sneer on his face.  
James realized everyone had fallen silent, watching them nervously. They obviously thought he would have a bad reaction.  
‘The Headmaster does,’ he said, clicking his knuckles.  
‘Does he?’ the mockery in Snape’s voice was unbearable. ‘I suppose the Headmaster is a very busy person, is he? He probably doesn’t have much time to dedicate to these affairs, does he? I presume he makes his choices by drawing –’  
James felt his face getting hot, but he didn’t lower his eyes nor softened his expression.  
‘Oh, yes,’ he said through clenched teeth. ‘He’s not the only one. Professor Slughorn is a very busy person, too. Do you know how Slytherin Prefects are chosen? Slughorn entrusts the task to the mice that live in the Slytherin common room.’  
Snape’s face was transfigured with rage. They just kept on looking at each other with increasing wrath, as though they were trying to kill each other with their stare, until Remus spoke.  
‘Were you going to tell the new Prefects what their job is, Lily?’  
‘Right,’ she said. Her voice made James and Snape both jolt, and they turned to her.  
Lily explained their tasks to the new Prefects quickly. When she finished, everyone hurried to get out of the compartment. Soon there were only James, Remus and Lily left.  
James glanced at Lily. She didn’t look particularly good-humored. She must be definitely unhappy about what he and Snape had done. He felt a stitch of regret. Why did he disappoint her every time? Why wasn’t he able to do something she could esteem?  
Last year, he had tried to soften her, but his greatest achievement was that she didn’t yell at him anymore. He was sure, though, she didn’t like him an ounce more than ever. He had tried to stop jinxing people he didn’t like just for fun, but, well, he still jinxed people, even though for more valid reasons. He couldn’t help fighting with those Slytherins – after all, if he didn’t hex them when he met them in corridors, they would hex him …  
He was looking absent-mindedly at his fireworks. They were about to disappear. A few glimmers only remained.  
James realized Lily was watching him. He heard the door handle click. Remus had got out of the compartment.  
‘I tried to cheer up the place a bit,’ he said, nodding at his fireworks and giving her a miserable look. ‘Someone smiled indeed.’  
Lily just kept watching him as though she was waiting for him to go on speaking.  
‘I’m sorry I spoiled everything,’ he whispered dejectedly.  
What was he doing? Was he pleading her to have pity on him? Had he ever pleaded anyone? And yet, he would not eat his words. Somehow, he felt like he wanted her to be sympathetic …  
‘Don’t worry,’ she murmured. ‘He provoked you. It was he who started it.’  
James’ eyes widened. Was she defending him?  
He couldn’t make out what her expression meant. She looked thoughtful – and slightly surprised, too. But he couldn’t understand what she was thinking of him.  
He couldn’t help smiling faintly.  
‘You’re not reproaching me?’ he whispered.  
Lily’s green eyes left his chest and rested on James’ own eyes. Was that the sympathy he was looking for?  
‘No,’ she said kindly.  
The last spark of a firework disappeared, but James was feeling a lot better.  
It was now time to pull himself together. Behave yourself, James. Maybe it wasn’t exactly the right thing to do, but he felt definitely more at his ease moving on his field.  
‘This Head Boy thing – it sounds like I’m going to spend my whole evenings meddling up with Prefects, doesn’t it?’  
‘No, I don’t think so. When I was a Prefect, I rarely worked with Heads. I think the Head Girl and Boy have their own tasks –’  
James let out a laugh.  
‘Then I’m going to spend my evenings with you?’ His lips curved in a sneer. ‘Well, it doesn’t sound that bad.’  
Surprisingly enough, Lily laughed, too.  
‘Don’t get strange ideas,’ she said amused.  
‘Oh, I’d never!’ he looked at her wide-eyed, as though she had just given him the most horrible offense of his life, but without managing to repress his smirk. ‘What do you think I –’  
Someone knocked at the compartment door. James rolled his eyes.  
‘Prongs? Are you here?’  
Sirius. He should have expected that.  
‘Coming.’  
Lily was still looking at him. He lowered his voice, his eyes fixed on Lily’s. He wasn’t sure about what to say, but he decided to improvise. It always worked.  
‘Well, it seems we’ll meet again when we get to school.’  
And again, he wasn’t like himself. James Potter would ask for a date, first of all. He would smirk. And he would get on Lily’s nerves, of course.  
‘Yeah,’ Lily said in a low voice. ‘See you at the feast, then. Dumbledore will summon us afterwards, I think.’  
‘Good.’  
Then, his voice went even lower.  
‘I am glad to see you again, Lily.’  
She blinked. Well, she wasn’t the only one to be surprised by James’ words.  
Nevertheless, something told him he was doing the right thing. He just hoped it would last.  
‘Don’t kid me,’ she whispered.  
‘You know I’m not kidding you.’  
He bowed his head again as his way of saying goodbye, then he went out of the compartment.


End file.
